KneEmail - a devotional by Mike Benson associated with Forthright Magazine
Impatience
OUR FLIGHT TO Singapore was delayed because of mechanical problems...
The 15-minute delay turned into 30 minutes, then 60 -- and then 3 hours. The ground staff was scrambling to calm the crowd, but people were tired and soon became angry. As the night stretched on, the crowd began to turn into a mob -- screaming at the staff with harsh language. The pilot even came to offer encouragement, but the crowd turned on him as well.
As I watched the scene unfold, a Singaporean man standing beside me softly said, "Patience will be a much-needed virtue tonight."
Life can be frustrating, even exasperating. Yet, many times impatience is just a reflection of our own self-centeredness in response to life's disappointments. Real love is pictured in the Bible as self-sacrifice, and one demonstration of that love is patience toward others. "Love suffers long and is kind; love . . . does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked" (1 Cor. 13:4-5). It sets aside our personal agenda and seeks to model Christ. (Bill Crowder)
KneEmail: "Love suffers long..." (1 Cor. 13:4).